SPINNING CERTIFICATION TRAINING: If you’ve ever considered becoming a Spinning instructor, you may want to consider a special Spinning Instructor certification workshop to be held Saturday, January 15th at the Hickman club. The all-day workshop will be led by a Master Spinning instructor. Cost is $325. After participating in the workshop you will go home to study the provided material and then take an online exam to become certified.
Being certified is a pre-requisite for teaching Spinning classes but it is not a guarantee of employment by Aspen. Those interested in working at Aspen will do a mentorship with me before interviewing with our group exercise director, Nicki Civitarese who makes the hiring decision.
I would stress the requirements for a good Spinning instructor include a knowledge of exercise physiology, the ability to relate to a group and a love of teaching. If that describes you, I hope you’ll consider this opportunity. Go to www.spinning.com to register or contact me if you have any questions.
NEW ASPEN CYCLING JERSEY: You may notice a flyer posted in the Spinning rooms with a picture of the new Aspen cycling jersey. I think it’s quite attractive and it is available for sale now! Check it out. The jerseys are $60. If you want one, email Nicki Civitarese Ncivitarese@aspenathletic.com with your size information. Payment is required prior to ordering.
REST / ILLNESS: It appears that there is a wave of colds spreading through classes and instructors. I know I was hit shortly before Christmas and am only beginning to feel better now. I have a one-word piece of advise that is hard for over-achieving athletes to accept: REST.
The biggest difference in training between pro and amateur athletes is the quantity and quality of their rest... the pros get more, the amateurs get less. Some of that is because we amateurs usually have more competing interests for our time. For the pros, training is their job. For us, it is something we do before or after work. But some of the difference between pros and amateurs is that amateurs underestimate the importance of rest.
When we make the important commitment to workout almost every day, we get used to the discipline of going to the gym and working hard even when we don't feel like it. The problem is that sometimes that means not listening to our bodies. It's hard to tell the difference between pushing ourselves (a good thing) and ignoring our body's messages that it needs rest (a bad thing).
My way of dealing with this when I was racing was that I would go out on a planned training ride even if I didn't quite feel like it. But, if I still felt lethargic after a half-hour or so, I'd change it to an easy recovery ride, or I'd just turn around and go home. Most often I'd feel pretty good once I got going and I'd do my planned ride.
My advice for anyone who wants to be fit is to train five or six days a week mixing variably difficult aerobic exercise with weight training. One day each week should be saved for complete rest. I also recommend resting two or even three consecutive days once a month. My best rides are always when I am well-rested.
This is not easy for a motivated athlete to do. I admit to having great trouble with it myself. But rest is crucial to performance. The physiology of our bodies is such that we don't get stronger while we work out, we get stronger afterwards as we recover and rebuild.
DIABETES: Two new reports signal another aspect of the U.S. obesity epidemic. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that if we continue to eat poorly and avoid exercise, one third of Americans will have diabetes by 2050. A separate report on WebMD estimates that diabetes or pre-diabetes will hit half of the U.S. population by 2020.
Researchers say that - as with so many other chronic diseases - weight loss and physical activity are the keys to the prevention of diabetes. These simple efforts could also save about $250 billion in health care costs in the next 10 years.
Still another study recently showed that a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training may offer the biggest benefits for people with type 2 diabetes in helping them control their disease. A new study shows the combination was best at improving blood sugar levels, compared with either type of exercise alone or no exercise. Researchers say exercise can provide many health benefits for people with type 2 diabetes, but until now the exact type of exercise to optimize those benefits has been uncertain.
EXERCISE AND FOOD LOGGING SYSTEMS. I am studying several of the many food and exercise logging systems available on the internet. My thought is to develop a kind of comparison test and share the results for your use. There are a lot of programs out there. I’d like to hear from you. Do you use a program like this? Why or why not? And, if you do use a program, which one do you use? What do you like and dislike about it?
FUTURE ARTICLES ON HOW TO BUY A ROAD BIKE: Another of the most frequent questions I am asked by Spinning students has to do with how to go about buying a road bike. It’s a pretty personal subject but I am planning to offer my own opinions and guidelines later this Spring. Let me know if you have specific questions you’d like me to address.
MY TEACHING SCHEDULE:
Alternate Monday's 9:00AM at Southeast.
Every Monday 5:45PM at Southeast.
Every Wednesday 9:00AM at Southeast.
Every Thursday 5:45PM at Merle Hay.
Every Saturday 7:30AM at Hickman.
RESOURCES:
Check out all the schedules at http://www.aspenathleticia.com/group-fitness/schedules/
Recent past issues of this newsletter are available at http://billroachblog.blogspot.com
Thank you!
Bill Roach
Star 3 Lifetime Certified Spinning Instructor
Certified Personal Trainer, National Academy of Sports Medicine
Aspen Athletic Clubs
bill.roach@mchsi.com
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